First - if you're not already an Amazon Prime member, you can still take advantage of the deals today.

You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial membership then cancel it before the month is up.

Second, the deals will go fast but don't let that stress you out.

You can see the deals before they go live.

Download the Amazon smartphone app and check out "lightning Deals" that post in advance. And select the categories or specific bargains you want so you get push alerts right before they go live.

Also, if you see something you like make sure you click "Buy" right away. That way it'll be in your cart for 15 minutes. Use that time to see if the price is really good.

You can do a quick internet search.

A lot of other retailers and e-tailers are offering competing discounts today. Some are even price-matching some of the Amazon Prime Day deals.

And do remember while some Amazon Prime Day deals are better than Black Friday, others are not so you need to be a smart shopper and do your homework.

Finally, for those of you signing up for that free Amazon Prime trial just to get the savings today.

If you don't want to remain on the hook for the monthly fee, be sure to set an alert for yourself to cancel your subscription the trial before the 30 days is up.

Some of you might consider keeping the trial, though. It does cost $99 dollars a year, but a recent analysis from J.P. Morgan Chase found a Prime Membership has a real value of more than $500 dollars when you consider the free shipping and streaming media.